The Effects of Education
by bracken99
Summary: Dylan's set to begin secondary school. What effect will this have on Rich, Kait, Jimmy, Gabe and Esme? And how well does Dylan cope with the big step from primary to secondary school?


**A/N: So I've been working on this bit by bit each night for a few nights now. I'm not sure how in-character I've kept them.**

**This is sort of an AU. It is set after series 2, Dylan is 11 and has not been to school since arriving at the Castle.**

Dylan enjoyed the schools summer holidays. The most recent one, of which was nearing its end, had been his first one spent in the castle. He had spent it watching the TV with his older brother Rich, being forced to help Kait clean out Prince William (her horse), listening to Gabe preform bad songs for Dani, helping Esme to annoy and prank people and by eating as much as he possibly could with Jimmy at his side.

During all of this, one thing had been nestled in the back of his brain. A constant reminder that would cause his stomach to feel funny before he would push it away, ignoring the matter until the last minute.

But as the days wasted away, that last minute was creeping up on him. The end of a summer holiday meant back to school for all children between five and sixteen across the United Kingdom, but only one in twelve of those children would be facing the same problem as him: the step up from primary to secondary school. Not that that alone bothered him too much. If he had stayed with his parents, where his old school friends were, the thought of secondary school wouldn't be too bad. Yet, he knew no one outside of the castle walls. Although they had still had a half term left when he had first arrived at the castle, Rich had thought it best for Dylan to return to school at the start of a new school year - giving him an extended summer.

At the time, he had been highly grateful that Rich had given him the chance to settle into life in the castle before settling back into school. It was only now that he realised that it may have been better if he had started school straight away. That way, he would at least have a few friends during the large leap up to secondary school life.

Two days before Dylan's big day, Rich, Kait and Jimmy were eating breakfast when Dylan entered, still half asleep. He had been awoken by Esme who had thought it funny to stand and stare at him whilst asleep to see how long it would take for his brain to alert him that he was being watched.

"Rich," Dylan spoke whilst yawning. Having stayed up late the previous night, he did not appreciate Esme waking him at seven in the morning. "I still haven't got my school uniform. I start in two days."

"We haven't got that yet?" Rich exclaimed, having though he and Dylan had sorted that months ago. Dylan just shook his head in response. Almost immediately, Rich began shovelling down his breakfast so that he could rush out with Dylan to go to the nearby shops. By nearby, he meant quite a trek on foot. He really needed to learn to drive.

"Hold on! Before you choke to death on cereal, Rich, are you going to Bogmoor Secondary School, Dylan?" Kait asked, speaking up as a thought struck her.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Leo was due to go there before he got accepted into the magic school he attends now. Mum and Dad brought him the uniform and all. It hasn't been used. I could bring it around tomorrow," Kait offered, knowing it was hanging untouched in Leo's pretty much empty wardrobe.

"You're a lifesaver Kait!" Rich exclaimed, almost spitting milk everywhere. "I could kiss you right now!"

"Ew, don't!" Dylan cried out, horrified by the thought of his older brother kissing someone.

Rich smiled at his younger brother's innocence. "You'll be on the dating scene soon, bruv. Secondary school is when everything changes!"

That was exactly what Dylan was worried about. And he definitely did not need reminding. His friend's will be changing, the amount of homework, the difficulty of the work, even his way to school would be changing. He'd trek through the woods until he reached the same point that the taxi dropped him off when he first arrived at Bogmoor, where he would wait for the school bus to pick him up. "I'm going to find Esme," Dylan declared, knowing that she would not keep going on about a new school year. The school year that Dylan did not wish to be reminded of.

Esme was in the library, where she had found Gabe to voice her concerns to. "What am I meant to do from 8 until 4 each week day? Dylan won't be here to talk to!" She complained, worried about how bored she would get whilst he was stuck in school.

"Whatever it was you preoccupied yourself with before Dylan's arrival?" Gabe suggested, not realising upon speaking that she had spent more of her time attempting to scare her brother, Rich, Jimmy or Kait before someone her closer to her physical age showed up.

"That's boring now! You all expect it!" Esme moaned.

"That is entirely your fault for being predictable," Gabe responded, turning away from the bookcase to face her. "Perhaps you should take up a new hobby. Like reading."

Esme did not look impressed. Within a second, she was gone.

When Gabe materialised in the kitchen, a puff of smoke dispersing behind him, Rich and Kait had also left, leaving Jimmy alone. Rather than eating everything in sight after being left in the presence of food unsupervised, he was calmly looking through the shelves in the cupboards and the fridge to see what they had. "Master Jimmy, what exactly is it that you are doing?"

The sudden noise made Jimmy jump. As he attempted to straighten up to see who had spoken, he whacked his head on the cupboard door. "I meant that," he grimaced whilst rubbing his head.

Gabe waited patiently, an eyebrow raised in disbelief at Jimmy's clumsiness, whilst Jimmy tended to his possibly bruised head.

Sitting down at the table, so not to lose his balance and fall over, Jimmy looked up at Gabe who was staring at a the cupboard doors that were wide open. "I'm trying to decide what to make for Dylan's packed lunch tomorrow. Rich asked me to do it and I chose to be organised for once."

"What is it that you have planned so far?" Gabe asked out of curiosity.

"Chocolate, crisps and an energy drink," Jimmy responded, sounding rather pleased with himself.

Gabe simply shook his head, speechless.


End file.
